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= Gisèle Pineau = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to searchGisèle Pineau (2018)

Gisèle Pineau (born 18 May 1956) is a French novelist, writer and former psychiatric nurse. Although born in Paris, her origins are Guadeloupean and she has written several books on the difficulties and torments of her childhood as a black person growing up in Parisian society.

Early Life and Career
'''In 1956, Gisèle Pineau was born in Paris, France. Due to her father's stationing in the military, she moved between France and Guadeloupe throughout her youth. In her childhood, she was subject to racism and xenophobia in her all-white school. To console the difficulties of her French upbringing and Caribbean heritage, she took to writing. In this writing, she connects the two cultures rather than discussing them as separate. The oral tradition of storytelling is used in her written fictional works to reclaim the narratives of Caribbean culture. '''

In particular, she focuses on racism and the effects it can have on a young girl trying to discover her own cultural identity. Her book L'Exil Selon Julia highlights this, as she relies on the memories and experiences of her aged grandmother to help her learn about her society's traditions and her own cultural background. In the book, she also mentions that the discrimination she felt as a youngster did not only apply to French society in Paris, but also to the people of Guadeloupe, who rejected her for being too cosmopolitan upon her return to the land of her ancestors.

She for many years lived in Paris and, whilst maintaining her writing career, has also returned to being a psychiatric nurse in order to balance out her life; but she recently has moved back to Guadeloupe.

References[ edit]

 * 1) ^ "Voices from the Gaps". conservancy.umn.edu. Retrieved Jun 7, 2019.